Ausdroid weekly round up – 18th to 24th July 2016

Welcome to another Sunday, it’s been a relatively quiet week after the excitement of Android Pay launching in Australia. We’ve seen some new Galaxy Note 7 leaks, and with that launch only a little over a week away, we’re getting excited to see what Samsung has to offer. So what else happened this week?

Google

Hangouts keeps on keeping on
Google’s next messaging platform, Allo is still yet to appear, but Hangouts is still getting some love. Google added a new update allowing you to share a link to a Hangout chat with anyone. Not a bad way to do it if you’re trying to get a lot of people to join a chat quickly.

Get your Nougat!! Final Dev Preview now available.
Google this week released the final developer preview of Android 7.0, more commonly known as Nougat this week. Over the Air updates started hitting devices enrolled in the Beta program, with the last update before Google unleashes the final update later this year. There’s a few differences, but we’re waiting for the final release to get a deep dive.

Catemon? NekoCats? Gotta Catch ’em All
The release of the final Android Nougat developer preview also unleashed an updated Android Easter Egg. Rather than being a modified flappy bird clone which we’ve seen in Marshmallow and Lollipop, if this stays the same, we’re all going to be collecting cats for the next year.

Android Pay is appearing in Aussie apps
Last week we saw the tap & pay aspect of Android Pay launching, this week we’re seeing the in-app purchasing component going live in Aussie apps. First off the block are Catch of the Day and Bountye, with EatNow following up with their launch soon after. If you have Android Pay you can now use it as a payment in these apps, and there’s more Aussie apps about to start using it too.

Manufacturers

Motorola opens their virtual shop doors
If you’ve been frustrated trying to purchase a Motorola device in the last few years, you’re not alone. Motorola, well, Lenovo now, has listened and opened the doors to a virtual store where you can order the newly released Moto G4 Plus and the Moto 360 Android Wear watch.

It’s a slow start, and we hope to see more added soon like the Moto Z and it’s associated Moto Mods, which launches in the US on Verizon later this week.

Australian Carriers

Optus anywhere with Satellites
Want to turn that mobile phone of yours into a satellite phone? You can now with the SatSleeve from Thuraya which is now available to purchase in selected Optus stores in QLD, NSW and the Northern Territory – but be warned, it’s pretty expensive.

Apps

Google Cultural Institute app
Google unleashed a new app to bring some arts and culture into your life with their latest app. The app can be used in a Cardboard headset to bring you to the virtual doorstep of many famous museums around the world. It’s free and lets you check out some great art around the world.

I get around, round, round, round, I get around
We saw two apps to help you get around town enter the news this week with the Australian Developed Embark, and popular app Citymapper launching service for residents of Sydney and Melbourne. Both apps offer a lot and you should really see what they have to offer – you may be looking at a much better option than your current app.

Distributed computing apps – check out our roundup
What’s your phone doing while you’re sleeping? Leave it on charge and run one of these distributed computing apps, and maybe change the world. We’ve checked out the 4 largest apps/platforms in distributed computing on Android, pick your favourite and start putting those wasted CPU cycles to use.

Action Launcher now comes with Google Now – if you’re rooted
Chris LAcy updated Action Launcher this week with Google Now integration as well as a bunch of other great features. The only problem is you can’t use the quick drawer for accessing your app if you want to use it, oh and you need root access to set Action Launcher as a system app. Other than that there’s plenty of updates and bug fixes included in the update so make sure you check it out.

Deals

Grab a Ghost hunting movie for Free on Google Play Movies
Google has come through with a generous offer this week, with Ghost Team now available to add to your Google Play Movies library to watch for free. The movie stars Jon Heder, David Krumholtz and Justin Long and it comes in HD, what more can you ask from a free movie? Get into it while it’s still available.

Noisli and Lost Journey are now just 20c each on Google Play
It was a very staggered launch this week for the App and Game Deal of the Week. The app was slow to appear, then the Game didn’t appear until Thursday afternoon. But nevertheless you can now grab Noisli and Lost Journey from Google Play for just 20c each for a limited time.

Daniel Tyson Editor

Dan is a die-hard Android fan. Some might even call him a lunatic. He's been an Android user since Android was a thing, and if there's a phone that's run Android, chances are he owns it (his Nexus collection is second-to-none) or has used it.

Dan's dedication to Ausdroid is without question, and he has represented us at some of the biggest international events in our industry including Google I/O, Mobile World Congress, CES and IFA.